Wednesday, November 2, 2016

We think we are always in control while we’re driving, don’t we? But are we, really?

Most of us drive in “automatic” going
through the motions without thinking about how we are driving.Have you ever got to your destination and
have no recollection of the drive to get there? Often we don’t give a second
thought when we snatch that item from the back seat, reading the gps map,
finding that perfect music on our iPhone, or drinking a beverage while clipping
away at 80 km/h or more. 9 times more likely to
have an accident! I’m guilty of that
too, but not anymore.

We think we can multi-task while
driving.However, I have news for you,
statistics report otherwise. According
to OPP in 2016 distracted driving deaths double that of deaths attributed to impaired
drivers. Let me say that again… more
deaths than impaired drivers!!!

Don’t read or respond to that TEXT!I bet you’re thinking, “I don’t”, all the while
you’ve done it at least once!” 23 times more likely to get into an accident!

I’ve noticed people enjoying their music
wearing headphones, unaware that there is an emergency vehicle with sirens
blaring, lights flashing, approaching from behind them. 3 times more
likely to get into an accident!

I’ve noticed people with their dog on their
lap while they drive. They risk their life, other lives, and their dog’s
life.

In Alberta 20% - 30% of all collusions
involved a distracted driver, I am sure it is higher, these statistic are
likely under reported because of insurance claims.Still, the statistic across Canada and the US
are overwhelming.

Be aware and keep your attention focused on
the road and how you’re driving. Do not be a distracted driver even for one
second. You might think it is safe to
check that short email at the red light, think again.

Instead, be aware of your posture while
sitting at the red light. Feel your hands on the wheel. Notice the drivers
around you. Take a deep breath and exhale. Be aware of your breathing. Accidents
are avoidable if we stop driving in “automatic”.

Please get home safe and ensure others get
home safe. Be mindful of your driving.

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Reading stories from residential school survivors made me feel
uncomfortable about my own story.The survivors’ stories areheartbreaking
and filled with unbearable pain and sorrow.

I have also been following stories on Charles Camsell Hospital in
Edmonton, Alberta, and these too made me uncomfortable.On October
4th a documentary film on the Hospital screened in Edmonton. Again, the shocking
treatment of Indigenous people who were admitted to the Indian hospital,
sometimes for years, is equally horrific.

These stories must be told and they must be heard.It is an important Canadian historical
legacy.Furthermore, both the telling and
the listening to these stories are critical for the truth and reconciliation process.

So why am I feeling uncomfortable?Because my personal
experience was very unalike most of the stories I’ve heard or read about. My story was never told because I feel it is not something that people want to hear.

Holy Angels Residence

Recently
I posted a residential school picture on facebook. It portrayed a celebration
of sorts; I was sitting with three of my brothers at the dinning room table
with other children. Three nuns were standing in the background.Someone posted in the comments, “ID like to
kill them nuns and burn that place down.”This is not someone who went here or any other residential
school.This person never asked me about
my experience, he just assumed it was bad.How do we heal when there is so much anger from people who didn’t
experience residential school or are not willing to listen to all the stories?

It is interesting that even in the same family, experiences of
accounts can be vastly different.This
is certainly the case in my own family.

I am one of the youngest of 16 children.We were raised in abject poverty. We had no running water or
electricity.Although the hamlet where
we lived was a “dry” town, meaning that alcohol was not allowed, this didn’t mean it didn’t exist there.In fact, there was alcohol in our home
because my parents were bootleggers.They made and sold home-brew
and shipped in liquor by plane, this to supplement
their income from trapping and seasonal work in order to feed the lot of
us.As a child I witnessed violence in
my home due to alcohol abuse.

To complicate matters, when I was a toddler, I was stricken with a serious illness and I almost died.I was sent to Charles Camsell Hospital frequently.

Many Indigenous people from the area where I grew up also lived in poverty, and were sent to Holy
Angels Residence.Some of them also were
admitted to Charles Camsell Hospital, like me.

I am hesitant to tell my story because I know some people would dismiss it on the basis
that I am so colonized that I am not even aware of how
colonized I am.Or because I am
brainwashed. In any event how can I say, after all the horrific stories about Indian Residential Schools, by the way, I don't think it was so bad,in my experience. It sounds callous and empty.

My experience in residential school from the first day was a good
experience. There, I said it!

I will always remember the afternoon my older sister Dora said, “Do you want to go to
school?” I
said, “Yes,” with a big smile. “Ok,” she said,“Go get into your snowsuit.”We walked to
residential school. It was getting dark and the snow sparkled like diamonds. It was in
December, and I had just returned from Charles Camsell Hospital, having missed the
first part of the school year.I wasn’t
scared because my sister was a cook at
the Holy Angels - I was excited! I took quickly to
learning and only spent one week in grade one before I was moved into grade
two.

Holy Angeles Residence, Fort Chipewyan, Alberta

I particularly loved reading and spent many hours in the study hall.I didn’t mind work, like polishing the
hardwood floors and the wooden banisters, because I was used to doing housework at home.In a
large family like ours we all had to pitch in to help.I also
learned beading, embroidery and how to darn socks and
mitts.There was also playtime. The
older girls never picked on me. Once a week we had movie night.Because we lived in town we got to go home for the weekend and when we returned Sunday afternoon, that evening we would watch a movie.All the other boys and girls came to our room to watch the
movie.Occasionally we played
bingo.I remember going camping too; we
were allowed to run into the hills for hours until we were called for
dinner.

A number of the priest spoke Denesuline (Chipewyan) and Cree. Also, Sister Brady, a Metis nun spoke Cree. We sometimes laughed behind their backs at how they sounded when they spoke our language. It must be said here that neither
the nuns nor the priests ever mistreated me, physically or emotionally.In fact, I corresponded regularly with one of
the priests until his death in 2003. He even visited my home in Ottawa
several times and met my husband and son.

Indeed, I still have many fond memories of being at Holy Angel Residence.

That said, I also remember fights between girls in the schoolyard.I remember students running away and being brought back in
tears. I remember that one time an older
girl slugged a nun.I remember whispers
about a certain “brother” who would fix bikes for the boys. So yeah, for sure
there were critical concerns during my time at Holy Angels.

Like I mentioned earlier I split my time between Holy Angels and
Charles Camsell Hospital.I always
looked forward to going to the hospital, the pain from numerous operations
notwithstanding.I would find money in
my folded clothes on the bed, left by Sister Nadeau for canteen treats while I
was at the hospital.I didn’t worry
about falling behind in my studies because I attended classes there. I was in the hospital so often I developed personal
relationships with the nurses and doctors, which I maintained through
correspondence when I was back at Holy Angels. I was encouraged to have pen pals and the nuns
took my letters to be posted in town.

Indeed my story is different, maybe it was because the era was the late sixties and seventies, and times and attitudes were changing.I don’t know why my
experience was different, was I the only one with these good memories?

The story of residential schools is a
challenging and complicated one.We
don't serve the truth if we don’t tell the whole truth, and reconciliation
can't be based on half-truths.My story
doesn’t take anything from those students who suffered abuse, or who died to be
placed in unmarked graves.The fact that
I was lucky to meet people who were caring does not contradict the truth of
those who were abusive, or the misguided policy that sought to kill the Indian
in Indian children.

Even with the extended times away from my family, I never forgot who
I was. I never forgot my first language, Denesuline.I never forgot the smell of drying pelts,
drying meat, and the taste of caribou.I
never forgot our songs, our culture, and my ancestors. I never blamed anyone
for anything that happened to me as a child. And, I am most proud of the fact that
alcohol or drugs never became a narrative in my story.I am proud to be breaking the cycle of destruction.

How you tell your story, how you interpret these past events becomes
you. The more you tell your story the more you strengthen that image of
yourself.Your story IS you. I don’t want to, and I shouldn't have to, feel
shame because my story is different.

I may be a product of residential school, but I am not a "survivor"of
residential school.

Monday, September 26, 2016

Harold Johnson, a self-declared, former drunk Indian, is the author
of this book. In spite of his struggles with alcohol he achieved a standard of
notable worthiness, as a lawyer and writer, a Harvard educated one at that.

Firewater is a very insightful and entertaining book. I highly recommend EVERYONE read it, whether
you drink alcohol or not, whether you’re Indigenous or not. Read it all the way
to the end!There are nuggets of wisdom
in this book for everyone! Yes, this has been the subject of books before but I
promise you Johnson brings a fresh perspective to this topic.

For example he writes that Treaty No. 6 signed in 1876 included a
provision to disallow intoxicating liquor to be introduced or sold to the
Indians. I don’t know how many times
over the years I’ve read that particular Treaty and yet I never paid attention
to that section. It appears that Treaty No. 6 was breached as soon as it was
signed, and nobody noticed!I was also surprised
to learn that The Royal Commission of Aboriginal Peoples Report (RCAP) 1996
only dedicated less than 8 pages to the subject of alcoholism.Their report was 4,000 pages long!Clearly they didn’t want to look too closely
at this topic.

Johnson writes that first and foremost a call for ACTION…begins with
an honest conversation about alcohol. He is not talking about addictions - he is
talking about alcohol. Hence, the book’s
title Firewater. I imagine some of you might be thinking but they
are the same thing, right? No, Johnson makes
a clear distinction that they are not.

He doesn’t beat around the bush either, but instead addresses his
topic directly with such intensity that it can’t be ignored. The stories he describes
in his book are tough, brutal, and powerfully illustrated. The stories will touch
you deeply and make you cry (at least they made me cry). He states unequivocally,
“None of this is easy to write, to speak of. We want to hide it away.” Indeed, many of us continue to turn a blind
eye to this problem as we watch our relatives being led to jail or tearfully bury
others whose lives end up in a too early and tragic death.

He also draws a convincing correlation between alcohol and its financial
impact on society. I am sure you’ve heard statistics regarding alcohol and the
impact it has on Indigenous people. But Johnson shocks you with statistics. He
states that alcohol not only impacts the individual, but its impact is far more
reaching than we have considered.

Furthermore, he skillfully steers the reader through a logical
sequence of traditional storytelling, which allows for the possibility of
creating a new story about alcohol.About changing the ‘drunken Indian’ story… a story that is killing us.
He writes, “We can think about those of us who walk in a sober way, people who
create their own paths and have freed their minds from the alcohol story.” He
goes further and makes strong recommendations on moving forward for the
communities and the individual on how to change this story.

Community leaders, grandparents and parents, aunts and uncles,
brothers and sisters, the conversation on alcohol has shifted. It is not the same recycled ‘drunken Indian
story’ – but a different one - one which will serve us properly.

Thursday, September 22, 2016

I helped a friend look for her adult
son. They were visiting and it was his first time to Ottawa. He went downtown to do
some shopping.He said he would call her
when he was done.She waited for his
call all evening.No call.She knew, she knew --- that he must have given into his
addiction.He had been sober for 15 days.
On his facebook that morning he wrote… “Chillin in Ottawa!15 days sober, doing great. Going shopping!”

I offered to take her downtown
to the men’s shelters to look for him.We drove down the streets. Her eyes scanned the faces, carefully, looking, searching.Searching for a glimpse of
him.She was worried, quietly, deep in
thought.

As we approached an area with street people
hanging about, she said, this would be the place where he would be. She
pointed in the direction of street people beside a grocery store.I slowed and asked her, is he there?She looked again, and yelled, there he
is!

Her son was on the ground beside the curb.
He was unconscious. People walked by not even looking at him. There were 3 street people sitting on curb beside him.
They stood up as we approached.I
immediately went to his side; I checked for a pulse, it
was strong.I looked at him carefully,
studying his breathing, checking his face.

She started talking to the street people,
one man and two young girls.He was Cree
from James Bay, Quebec. He was maybe in his early thirties.The shortest girl, maybe in her twenties said
she was from Iqaluit, Nunavut. She reminded me of an another Inuit artist whose body was found in the river earlier that week just a couple of blocks away. And the other girl, also in her twenties, was
from Peru.

One of the girls said, we are watching over
him.He is ok.But clearly, he was not ok.My friend asked questions, how long had he
been there?What was he drinking? Were
they with him long?The girls kept
looking down at him on the ground.He is
ok she kept saying. He was not
unconscious for too long, maybe an hour, he said.She said, he fell and hit his head. The man
said, he had been robbed of his phone, cash and Id.

What I realize is that these street people
who just met him the day before were concerned about him and they watched over
him the best they could.They kept looking at him, checking
to make sure he was ok. They reassured the mom that nothing bad would happen to
him. Not being aware that something bad had already happened to him because this, what was happening, was normal to them. For anyone else, an unconscious man lying on the street for over an hour would not be perceived as normal.

As the mother was asking the young people
questions, her son said, mom! I am ok. All I could think was on some level when
he heard her voice, he felt comforted by the sound of her voice.And maybe thought, my mom is here and I am
going to be ok.

The mother tried to get her son up off the
ground to walk to the car but he was unresponsive.She said to the street people.Maybe, I should just let him sleep whatever
is in his system off.I will come back
in an hour.The three said, don’t worry
about him.We will watch him.

We returned over an hour later, but he was
no longer there and neither were the street people.My friend decided to go into the store to get
something to drink.She bumped into the
man we met earlier.He said, we waited
for you to come back.But the ambulance
took your son to the Shepherds of Good Hope triage; they will take care of him
there.

He gave her directions and we went
directly there.When she got
there, she was told he was sleeping. They assured her they were monitoring him.She left her number in the event he woke up
and needed a ride.Again, she waited for
a call from him that didn’t come.

The next morning I said I would go with her
to pick him up.I could see the worry on
her face, I know she was thinking, what if he was not there.I could see her relief when she was told he
was still there sleeping.He was unstable
and somewhat incoherent but able to walk to the car on his own accord.By this time, he had not had any alcohol in
his system for over 24 hours.

We had breakfast, but he didn't come in, instead choosing to stay in the car. She decided they should just head back home, I watched
as she drove away--- the fact that he was still so out of it concerned me.

I realized two things

An addictive mind will always find their drug of choice

Street people looked
after each other, even if it is a stranger from a different city

Saturday, September 10, 2016

I am excited for what the
year ahead holds for my son, Andrew.He
begins the next phase of his life as a university student at Acadia
University in Nova Scotia. He
is embarking on a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and he is living in residence.

Last year we decided to
defer sending him to university for a year and I think this was the best decision for him. He
spent the year taking critical writing and physics courses. He even got his
drivers license, I think it was time well spent.

Andrew Chipman House, Acadia, Aug.2016

I can see already, that he is much more mature and self-assured than he was last fall. I am confident that he will be
able to navigate through the next year with less trepidation and more
confidence. For sure, he was plenty nervous the day we dropped him off at his
residence, as were all the other freshmen students.He said, could you just take me back home
with you?I told him every experience he
had leading up to this day was to prepare him for university.During his high school years we enrolled him
in summer courses at various universities across Canada.

Laval University was five
long weeks of intensive French immersion, which he survived.Quest University, located in picturesque
British Columbia was four weeks in the study of music and writing, which involved
outdoor excursions to take advantage of the scenic environment.He really enjoyed his time there.University of Toronto, right dab in the
middle of the city provided him with an opportunity to see what it would be
like to study law when he completed the Aboriginal Youth Summer Program at the faculty of Law.Something he is
thinking of pursuing after undergrad.

All these experiences
provided him with leadership, spiritual and emotional growth.Still, it was not easy
leaving him. He promises me a blog on his first week impressions of university life,
which I will post here.

We drove to Nova Scotia, it took us two days!

I was a sad mama, leaving him behind for the long drive back home. L Thankfully texting keeps us in
contact on a daily basis.As he becomes
more comfortable at university, I know his texting will become less frequent.
But at the moment I am enjoying this new way of communicating with him and I am excited
for the amazing possibilities and growth that university will afford him.